Overwhelmed by Tradition

 

“And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with great fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.””

(Luke 2:8-11 ESV)

 

The Christmas season is something that we all enjoy. And there are different aspects that appeal to each of us. Many of us, for example, enjoy the music. Many of us enjoy the decorations. Many of us enjoy cooking and baking. Many of us enjoy gathering with family and friends. Many of us enjoy buying and giving gifts to our friends and loved ones. Many of us enjoy watching Christmas movies. And many of us simply enjoy it all.

 

While there are many fun aspects of our holiday celebration, it often becomes overwhelming. All of these traditions, which are supposed to be fun and relaxing, turn into a chore. And this leaves us stressed out and tense.

 

We lose our enjoyment of the season. And, worse yet, we forget what our celebration is all about. It gets moved to the back burner while we focus on all of these peripheral activities.

 

We tend to think that, apart from these traditions, the holiday is ruined. We tend to think that, apart from these traditions, it loses its meaning. We tend to think that, apart from these traditions, Christmas is boring and bland.

 

We fail to recognize that, even if these traditions were completely stripped away, Christmas would remain. We can take away the decorating. We can take away the cooking and baking. We can take away the Christmas parties. We can take away the mandated and forced family time. We can take away the buying and giving of gifts. And, when we do so, the meaning of the day is left unchanged.

 

In fact, we may find it more enjoyable rather than less. We may find that removing the stress brought on by all of these traditions makes the day even more meaningful. We may find that a more relaxed holiday celebration is more pleasant and profound.

 

As we’re reminded in the passage above, Christmas is about Jesus. It’s about his coming into the world. It’s about his birth, and the blessing this is. It’s about the gift of God given to each and every one of us.

 

It was the message of the Savior’s birth that was proclaimed by the angels. It was the announcement of his birth that is good news of great joy. It was the news of his birth that excited the shepherds so that they went in search of him.

 

It’s this, you see, that gives meaning to the day. It’s this that makes the holiday. And it’s this that we celebrate.

 

All of these other things, all of the traditions in which we take part, are meant to point us to Jesus. They are meant to focus our attention on him. They are not meant as a distraction from that which is truly important.

 

As I say this, I’m not encouraging a stripped-down version of Christmas. I’m not encouraging you to leave all of your traditions behind. What I’m saying is that, if the traditions are taking away from our celebration of the holiday, perhaps it’s best that we let them go, at least some of them.  Perhaps we let some of them go for only this year. Perhaps it’s best to let them go and to focus on what the day is truly about.